Tsunami Anniversary

Tsunami Anniversary, Fire captain and platoon commander Yasuhiro Ishii wearing the layers of protective clothes that he and his colleagues had to wear when they went to the nuclear reactors
It was late at night after a rigorous training session that Yasuhiro Ishii was informed that he was being sent on a dangerous mission to the heart of Fukushima’s damaged nuclear power plant.

Only days after last year’s Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami triggered a near apocalyptic nuclear crisis at the northeastern power plant, Mr Ishii, a commander of Tokyo Fire Department’s elite Hyper Rescue Squad, was prepared for the summons – despite the anxieties of his wife and teenage daughter.

Describing how he broke the news that he was joining the ranks of the so-called Fukushima 50 to his family, Mr Ishii said: “I didn’t have time to call, we were so busy, but I sent my wife a short text message from my mobile.